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Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath has urged caution over the ‘hype’ surrounding teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying he hopes the 15-year-old has not been burdened
with unrealistic expectations after his first two outings for India. He said ‘such players’ have higher peaks than most, but the ‘dip is also sharper’ when they fail.
Sooryavanshi has shown flashes of his power-hitting ability with four sixes across his first two T20Is, but has only managed scores of 14 and 13. In the first match, he was undone by off-spinner Will Jacks’ smart loopy ball outside the off-stump. The second wicket was a bit more concerning, as Jofra Archer got him to glove a sharp bouncer on the leg-side to the wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler.
Many left-handers before Sooryavanshi have had a similar issue on leg-sided bumpers. These are not the easiest to execute, and the 15-year-old has fared better against those slower than Archer, but it still showed that a set plan can be worked out against him.
“I hope we have not just hyped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” Badrinath said. “He has had a great start and is a phenomenal hitter. But suddenly it’s starting to look like Jofra Archer is sorting him out. I hope he hasn’t been hyped too early because such players peak higher than others when their form is good. But the dip is also sharper for such players when the form is bad,” he added.
Despite the team’s losing streak, India will likely give Sooryavanshi ample opportunities to prove himself at the biggest stage. He deserves that, too, because his performances in the IPL, the toughest competition in the world, have been much better than all competitors for the opening spot.
The fourth India-England T20I will be played on Thursday (July 9). Sooryavanshi is already in the squad for the Asian Games and the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
